


If I'm Ugly Then So Are You

by orphan_account



Category: The Hobbit, The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Durin Family, Gen, Kid!Fic, no incest!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-23
Updated: 2013-01-23
Packaged: 2017-11-26 13:12:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/650868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kili's getting picked on for being 'ugly'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If I'm Ugly Then So Are You

**Author's Note:**

> There's been a lot of discussion lately about how Kili is the prettiest to us, but he's really actually the ugliest in dwarf terms. I couldn't get it out of my head when I was watching The Hobbit tonight, so this happened.
> 
> Un-beta'd, so my apologies for any mistakes.

"Kili!" Fili calls for the hundredth time. "Come down and stop being such a child!" He throws his back against the cavern wall and huffs. He's been standing there calling on his younger brother for at least ten minutes and it's starting to get on his nerves. 

There's a small hole in the wall by Fili's head, too small for Fili to fit, but just big enough for Kili to climb in and through the mountain walls. This is where Kili likes to hide whenever he's mad, or upset. Fili isn't quite sure what emotion his younger brother is feeling right now, but if the little brat doesn't come out soon--

"I'll just leave you here all night!" Fili yells into the hole. He knows Kili is probably twenty, twenty-five feet through the tunnel and up the side of the mountain, but he'll still be able to hear what Fili is saying. "And then the orcs can have you." Fili smiles smugly, but it's soon wiped from his face.

"Is that anyway to talk to a child?"

Fili turns his head. Thorin is standing by the cavern entrance, his eyes fixed on his nephew.

"Uncle," Fili says, and he pushes off the wall. "I didn't mean. I was just, just--"

"Trying to terrify your little brother." Thorin narrows his eyes a little, but there's no malice in his expression as he walks closer to Fili. "Are orcs really the way to do that?" His voice softens a little, and Fili lets out a breath.  
"He won't come down," Fili says, and he stares at the ground, kicking at a rock. "It's getting late, and he's scared--"

"Of the dark, I know," Thorin says, and Fili looks up. Sometimes his uncle surprises him. He's so hard on the outside, so cold and stormy, quiet unless he's yelling. He's the king (whether he admits it or not), so Fili doesn't like to push him, doesn't like to crowd him too much. Yet sometimes it surprises him when Thorin acts...well, like an uncle, he supposes. It shocks Fili at times when Thorin will remember their birthdays and show up with a carved statue with a story to match, or when Fili catches a glance of a tiny smile on the corner of his mouth as he watches Kili jump around in front of the fire as he pretends to battle goblins and elves. This time, Thorin's remembered that Kili (as much as he'll deny it) is completely and utterly terrified of being alone in the dark. It's silly, considering they're dwarves and live under a mountain, but he's still young, hasn't even grown into a beard yet.

"But he's inside the mountain," Thorin says, and he walks towards the hole in the wall in which Kili had escaped into earlier. "Isn't it dark in there?"

Fili shakes his head. "There's an opening at the top -- he just climbs onto the mountain side."

Thorin nods. He's silent, thinking, and Fili feels a little nervous. He always gets a little nervous when he's around his uncle, like he's going to be scolded or yelled at -- which, to be fair, does happen a lot. He respects his uncle though, practically worships him (but what dwarf doesn't?).

"Go," Thorin says at last, and he moves to take a seat on a large boulder in the cavern. "Your mother's making supper, go help her."

Fili frowns. "But I can't leave Kili."

At that, Thorin looks up with a strange look in his eyes and Fili bites his lip. When Thorin smiles, Fili can't help but feel a little proud -- even though he doesn't know what he's done to deserve such a look.

"I'll get him down," Thorin says gently, and Fili still doesn't move -- he has half a mind to decline, insist on waiting for his brother, because he doesn't know if Thorin's going to yell at him for being so stubborn (which to be honest, Thorin doesn't have much of a right to complain about because Kili gets it from their mother's side of the family). However, Fili knows not to argue with his uncle, so he lets his should slump a little and nods, before he turns and makes his way out of the cavern, hoping that Kili doesn't come home with that sad, pitiful look on his face that comes after every scolding from their uncle.

***

Kili's eyes widen when he hears his uncle's voice.

"Kili!"

"Oh no," Kili whispers to himself. He turns his head to look into the dark tunnel he'd climbed out of. He always hides out here on the mountain side when he needs to escape -- Fili's too big to fit anymore so it's the best hiding place.

"Kili, come down." 

Kili bites his lip. Thorin doesn't sound angry, but Kili's smart -- his uncle could just be _pretending_ he isn't mad, then when Kili climbs down he'll get a clip around the ear and told not to go running off again. 

"Kili!"

Kili groans and pouts his lip, but he starts to crawl back through the tunnel anyway. Either way he'll get scolded for running off, so he better get it over and done with.

By the time Kili nears the opening of the tunnel, he can see his uncle standing at the mouth. Kili pauses to assess the situation. Thorin doesn't look angry. In fact he looks a little...sad? Kili isn't sure because he's never seen his uncle with this kind of look on his face.

"Kili," Thorin says, and he raises a hand to beckon Kili forward. With a deep breath, Kili keeps going, and when he gets to the opening he lets Thorin take him by the waist and lift him down. "Are you okay?" Thorin asks, and Kili stares up at him in confusion.

"Am I in trouble?"

Thorin tilts his head. "Have you done anythwing wrong?"

Kili frowns and shrugs. "I ran away when Fili yelled on me to stop.”

Thorin stares down at his nephew and folds his arms. “Why were you running away?”

Kili continues to stare up at his uncle. He only reaches Thorin’s waist so it hurts to stare up for too long. “Nothin’,” Kili says and looks down at his feet, his messy fringe falling over his face.

There’s a sigh and then Thorin is kneeling in front of him. Kili looks up, surprised.

“Was someone picking on you?” Thorin asks in a quiet voice.

Kili’s eyes widen in shock. He has no idea how his uncle could know because Kili hasn’t even told _Fili_ , and he tells Fili _every thing_.

“You can tell me,” Thorin says, and he reaches out to place a hand on his nephew’s shoulder.

Kili sniffs and shrugs. “Maybe.”

Thorin stares at him, and it makes Kili a little uncomfortable. He’s not used to his uncle being so calm. Suddenly, and just as surprising, Thorin’s scooping Kili up into his arms, and he carries him over to a large boulder where he sits down.

“What happened?” Thorin asks, and for a few seconds Kili doesn’t answer, just presses his keeps his head down. “ _Kili_.”

“They make fun of me,” Kili says, still not looking up. He pulls at one of his fraying braids. “They laugh at me.”

“Why would they do that?” Thorin asks. Kili just shrugs.

“Because I’m small,” he says. “And I don’t have a beard.”

Thorin grunts. “You’re too young for a beard.”

“Gimli has a beard,” Kili whines, and he looks up with wet eyes.

Thorin blinks down at his nephew then sighs. He puts an arm around Kili’s shoulders. “Gimli...he’s much like his father,” Thorin says.

Kili pouts out his bottom lip. “But that’s not fair.”

Thorin smiles gently. “No, I know it’s not, but it can’t be helped.”

“Fili started growing a beard when he was my age,” Kili says, and he stares down at his knees. There’s a tear in his trousers from climbing and he knows his mama’s going to be annoyed at that. 

Thorin doesn’t say anything, just gently rubs Kili’s back.

“Everyone laughs at me,” Kili continues quietly. “Because I’m littler than the other dwarves. And my nose and ears are too small. I’m ugly.” 

“Now wait a minute,” Thorin’s voice practically booms and Kili startles, looking up. “You are not _ugly_ , Kili. You’re just...” He pauses, and he stares at Kili, his eyes softening around the edges. “You’re like me,” he says, and he smiles gently.

Kili frowns, his brow furrowing. “Like you?”

“Yes,” Thorin nods slowly. “Do I have a long beard?”

Kili shakes his head.

“I didn’t grow a beard until I was much older than you are now,” Thorin says. “And I was just as small as you too.”

Kili thinks about this, then asks, “But why does Fili have one?”

Thorin’s eyes crinkle a little. “He’s more like your father, whilst you’re like your mother.”

That doesn’t sit well with Kili. “But I’m not a woman!”

Thorin resists the urge to roll his eyes. “No, I don’t...I mean you’re more like your mother’s side of the family...like me, and your grandfather.”

Kili’s eyes light up at the mention of his grandfather. Kili _loves_ hearing stories about his grandfather, and his great-grandfather. He loves listening to tales of the old warriors, the battles and triumphs of old. 

“So...” Kili says, and he pushes himself off his uncle’s lap. “I’ll be big and strong like you?”

Thorin nods and gets to his feet. 

“Will I be bigger than Fili?” Kili asks.

Thorin chuckles gently and tustles Kili’s hair. “I bet my beard on it.”

That appeases Kili quite nicely. As long as he’s not stuck being so small for the rest of his life he’ll be okay.

“Okay,” he says and smiles up at his uncle. “I can wait.”

“Good lad,” Thorin says, before they make their way out of the cavern.

***

Fili rolls his eyes as he watches his mother fuss over Kili’s ripped trousers. She should know by now that the young dwarf never comes home without some item of clothing destroyed.

“How did you get him down?” Fili asks his uncle quietly, leaning against the wall as Thorin smokes over the fireplace.

Thorin doesn’t say anything, just smiles gently.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[podfic] If I'm Ugly Then So Are You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/751714) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account), [reena_jenkins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reena_jenkins/pseuds/reena_jenkins)




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